A winter storm brought 5 to 10 inches of snow to northern Illinois, including Chicago, and more to regions in western Michigan Saturday through Sunday.
Radar as of 4:30 PM Sunday, Central Time
The snow ended Sunday evening in Illinois. It was heavy at times, though, and a winter storm warning was originally issued until midnight Sunday. Many flights into, through, or out of Chicago’s Midway and O’Hare airports were cancelled.
As of 4:45 PM, for example, the FAA was reporting average delays of about one hour at O’Hare. And flights leaving the airport destined for Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport were experiencing delays averaging more than four hours.
Very few school districts in Illinois had reported, as of Sunday evening, that classes would be cancelled Monday, and some school districts specifically said they would be open, according to the region’s Emergency Closing Center.
The snow in Warrenville, Ill., as of Sunday afternoon
“We anticipate a normal morning rush on Monday. Everybody goes to work. No excuses to take off. The streets will be clear,” the Chicago Tribune quoted Charles Williams, Chicago Streets and Sanitation commissioner, as saying. As of 6 PM Sunday, 6.8 inches of snow had been recorded at O’Hare International Airport and 5.2 inches at Midway Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
Our advice is that people remember students who walk to bus stops and keep sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses free of snow and safe to travel.
In western Michigan, where conditions were expected to improve by Monday morning but snow would accumulate through Sunday evening, the situation was a little different. Battle Creek Public Schools and Ionia Public Schools called off Monday classes, but most schools were planning to remain open, based on district websites and Twitter accounts.
Because of Lake Michigan and the so-called “lake effect,” the snow is often much worse in western Michigan than it is in northern Illinois.
